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The Men Who Would Be Veep

By

Stephen F. Hayes

Updated Oct. 5, 2004 12:01 a.m. ET

In almost every respect, the participants in the vice presidential debate this evening are opposites. Dick Cheney is nearing the end of a political career that spans three decades. He has no desire to run for president in 2008. He is a reluctant campaigner and an unlikely politician. The Los Angeles Times says Mr. Cheney has "anticharisma." He doesn't seem to care. He speaks in short declarative sentences and uses few unnecessary words. And he prefers to conduct the affairs of state in private.